Misinformation a disturbing trend at NFL Combine

You’ve got to shake your head at some of the behavior taking place at the ongoing NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. And we’re not talking about players, coaches or GMs. We’re talking about the media.

This isn’t meant as anything more than a means of correcting some of the erroneous reports that have popped up during this annual ritual, and offering a sad commentary on how Twitter is responsible for a growing amount of misinformation.

The worst case of this occurred at the Tim Tebow press conference Friday. I happened to be sitting nearby so I arrived on the scene quickly and got a spot right up front. Several of us were positioning our tape recorders on Tebow’s podium when – in typical Tebow fashion – he reached out and started collecting the recorders to help us out. One reporter joked, “You want to write down some quotes for me too?” and handed Tebow his pad and a pen. Tebow wrote something, smiled and handed it back. I asked the reporter later and he showed me Tebow had written “Tim Tebow, #15, God Bless.”

One reporter sitting some 20 feet away misunderstood the exchange and immediately Tweeted that the reporter had asked Tebow for an autograph. NFL Network picked up the Tweet and reported it. And in the Associated Press account of the press conference, the same misinformation was passed along. The reporter who had thought he was in the middle of a funny, cute moment wound up having to defend himself in an angry e-mail sent to his colleagues later.

An isolated incident? We wish. Two days earlier I had been introduced to an Arizona reporter in a hotel lobby and mentioned that the Dolphins and Cardinals had some interesting subplots cooking, referring of course to the Dolphins’ anticipated interest in Pahokee’s Anquan Boldin, linebacker Karlos Dansby and safety Antrel Rolle in coming weeks.

The reporter said he was hearing the same and that he was hearing Miami was willing to pay big money to Dansby. The reporter who introduced us sent out a Tweet to that effect moments later and Pro Football Talk picked it up and wrote a story about it. That’s how an offhand comment between two reporters turned into one of the big stories of the week.

Both reporters, who will remain nameless, should have known better. Both later regretted their Tweets, but they need to know once they’re out there it’s too late to take them back.

People wonder why I’m not a ‘Tweeter.’ Call these Exhibits A and B as to my reluctance.